CID unearths international credit card fraud, nabs two

DHNS

Gang created fake cards using stolen data, say police

Bengaluru, 06 May 2016: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday busted a  major credit card fraud by arresting two persons who were part of a gang that created fake debit and credit cards by stealing data using skimming machines.

 

The arrested are identified Kiran D, 34, of Talaghattapura and Neeta, 33, of Kasavanahalli near Parappana Agrahara in the city. Neeta’s husband and the prime suspect, Manoj Kumar, 41, is at large, said the police. 

 

“We received a tip-off that Kumar had conspired a large scale online cheating. He was planning to move out of Bengaluru and a search is on for him,” Inspector General of Police (CID) Hemanth Nimbalkar told reporters.

 

The police seized a debit/credit card printing machine, a machine reader, a writer machine, two card embossing machines, a SIM card imaging machine, a thermal printing role, VISA/ MasterCard holograms, electronic data capture machines and 2,762 debit/credit cards without names and numbers, three phones, two modems, six bank passbooks, 16 cheque books and two cars from the suspects, Nimbalkar said.

 

The suspects used skimming machines to retrieve confidential data from credit/debit/ATM cards. The skimming machines read and store the confidential data of  cards once they are swiped. The gang prepared fake credit/debit/ATM cards using this data. They used the fake cards for online purchases and withdrawal of funds. Sometimes, they hacked accounts of not so reliable websites and stole the data, he added.

 

Kumar, a BBA graduate, was been involved online cheating for the last 14 years. He was first booked by the Chennai police in 2002. The Maharashtra police arrested him in 2003 and he spent about an year in jail. He did not commit any offence for five years after his marriage in 2005. He resumed online cheating a few years later and the Tamil Nady police booked two cases against him in 2011 and 2012, Nimbalkar said.

 

He fled to Malaysia in 2011 where he came in contact with hackers especially from Indonesia and Malaysia. 

 

He would receive information of Indian credit cards used in those countries and share that information to hackers there. 

 

This resulted in huge illegal operations and the police found it difficult to arrest the suspects, Nimbalkar said.  The Bengaluru police booked a case against Kumar in 2014 when after was involved in a crime in Indiranagar. 

 

The Cyber Crime police of CID arrested him and his wife in December 2015. He came out on bail and continued his operations, the IGP said. 

 

Dos and Dont’s

The police have advised public to be cautious while using credit/debit cards. The card swiping should happen in the presence of card holders. Sometimes, cards are taken inside outlets/hotels/shops which may be swiped in skimming machines to retrieve data before swiping them for payment.

 

* Use only secure sites for online transactions.

* Purchase merchandise from a reputable source.

* Reconcile credit card statements to avoid unauthorised charges

* Don’t entertain unsolicited emails seeking card information 

* Don’t use cards at places having spy cameras

* Frequently change cards secret numbers 

* Immediately contact banks in case of withdrawals or purchases without your notice